Dennis Kimetto Talks to Stefan Holt

Kimetto and Emmanuel Mutai were neck-and-neck until the last half-mile when Kimetto broke out front.

"I am happy because I broke the course record," Kimetto said. "The [race] conditions were very good."

Chicago Marathon Photos

Kimetto came to Chicago with a 2013 marathon win already under his belt. He took first in this year's Tokyo Marathon with a time of 2:06:50, which set a course record for the race, just his second marathon to date.

During his first marathon, in Berlin last September, he crossed the finish just one second behind the winner.

Kimetto is known for long-distance road racing. The World Marathon Majors points out Kimetto would hold the world record for fastest marathon debut if the IAAF recognized that stat. He set his personal best in Berlin with a finish time of 2:04:16.